Improvement in nailing-machines for lasting boots and shoes



H. F. WHEELER.-

Nailing-Machines for Lasting Boots and Shoes.

No. 134,231. Patented Dec.24,1872.

I ST T "PATENT OFF CE.

HENRY F. WHEELER, OF EOSTON, ASSIGNOR TO THE LYNN LASTING MACHINE ASSOCIATION, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN MAILING-MACHINES FOR LASTING BOOTS AND SHOES.

'Specificationforming part of Letters PatentNo. 134,231, dated December 24, 1872.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY F. WHEELER, of Boston, Suffolk county, Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Implements for Driving Nails by Band, of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to a class of machines for delivering and driving nails employed in lasting boots and shoes in which a nailblank is employed consisting of a ribbon of metal -serrated on one edge or divided into narrow tapering teeth so as to resemble somewhat an attenuated comb, the machine being so organized that the ribbon is fed forward into the path of a reciprocating driver, and by the latter driven into the work, each nail previous to the descent of the driver being sevcred from'the remainder by a cutter suitably operated.

A machine to which my present improvements have especial reference is shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States numbered 90,650, and issued on the 1st day of June, 1869,. to William E. Fischer and G'-' H. Johnson. In this patented implement grave objections exist in the nail-feeding device for the reason that the nail-strip, being continually fedforward as the cutter descends, is struck by such descending cutter and buried and bent out of shape to such an extent as to render it worthless, the functions of the mechanism be ing also stopped.

The purpose of my present improvement is I to provide a feeding apparatus for this. class of implements or machines which shall act intermittently and only drive forward the nailstrip at the proper time, allowing it to remain still while the cutter is in the act of descending and severing the foremost nail. To this end I employ, in connection with the vertically-sliding plunger and nail-driving rod, a horizontal bolt, disposed at right angles to the axis of the said plunger and with its inner corner coinciding with the said driver in order to impinge against and feed forward into the path ofthe driver the nail-strip, the requisite to-andfro reciprocations of the feed-bolt being effected by an upright cam-bar depending, attached'to, and disposed alon gside of the lower part of the plunger and passing through a slot in the bolt, the said bar being formed with two oppositelydisposed oblique cam faces or grades which act alternately upon the bolt to force it toward or away from the driver, the descent of the plunger and bar serving, by means of one grade, to force the feed-bolt inward toward the driver, and the ascent of such plunger, by the action of the opposite grade, serving to retract the bolt and isolate it from the said driver and plunger and the cutter carried by the latter; By this arrangement the nail-blank or strip is allowed to remain at rest except at the immediate starting-point of theplunger and cutter in their ascent or descent-that is to say, the,

bolt remains stationary in its advanced position while the cutter is ascending until the lat ter has about reached the nail-strip, when the cam-bar retracts the bolt and retains it in such position while the cutter is severing a nail from the strip and rising above the latter, the bolt retaining this isolated position during the descent of the plunger and cutter until the latter has passed below the nail-strip, when the opposite or inner cam-grade wipes against the bolt and advances it to the extent of the thickness of a nail, the bolt in its advance seizing hold of the advancing nail-strip an equal distance in readiness for the knife during its next ensuing ascent to sever the nail thus fed forward.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents an under-side view; Fig. 2 a horizontal section; and Figs. 3 and 4 vertical sections, of a machine or implement containing my improvements.

In'this drawing, A denotes the flat base or head plate of the implement, which is of the shape" sh own in Figs. 1 and 2, the greater portion of it being nearly cylindrical in horizontal section, and hollow, to form a hopper or box,

' B, for'receiving the coiled. nail-strip which is placed within it. Upon one cornerof the base A I erect an upright tubular handle or standard, O, and within the lower and larger portion of the bore a of such handle I dispose a sliding plunger, D, the lower end of which protrudes below the base and is reduced one-half its diameter in order to produce a flat face, I), as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. E represents a thin flat plate of steel, sharp upon its upper edge, let into the face I) at about its vertical center, and extending across it at right angles to the axis of the plunger, the purpose of this plate or cutter being to sever a nail from the nailstrip within the reservoir B. F represents a cylindrical spindle which plays easily within the bore of the handle 0, and extends a short distance tightly into a socket, 0, formed in the upper end of the plunger D, the spindle being elevated and the plunger depressed by a helical spring, d, which is coiled about the lower part of the former and received within an enlargement, e, of the bore of the handle. The spindle F carries at its lower end an attenuated rod or driver, h, which depends from it and extends through the plunger, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, a hole or passage, f, being made in the latter for its reception. The front face of the flat portion of the plunger D is slotted above the cutter E, as shown at g in Fig. 4, in order to allow a nail to enter the passage f below the driver h, and the hopper or receptacle B communicates with the said passage f by a throat, 1 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A spring-presser, 7e, is pivoted within the throat 2', as shown at l, and, by pressing against the nail-plate, serves to crowd the latter up to and maintain it in contact with or loosely adjacent to the feed-bolt.

The above-described arrangement of hopper, plunger, spindle, driver, and spring-presser is substantially the same as that shown in Letters Patent hereinbefore named, and as their purpose and operation are fully described therein, and as they form no part directly of my invention, I make no explanation of their opera tion.

In carrying my improvements into practice I form within that side of the base A nearest the handle G a horizontal chamber or hole, m, and within this chamber I dispose a bolt, 02, this bolt being disposed endwise onto the driver h, and with its body immediately to one side -of such driver, a small spur, 0, being formed upon the side of the head of the bolt, which coincides with the driver, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The feed-bolt n is advanced by a suitable spring, 12, placed behind it within the chamber m. In its rearward movement the feeder n slips over or passes along the nailplate without effect upon it, but in its advance it takes hold of such plate and feeds it along the thickness of a nail, as before premised. To effect the reciprocating endwise movements of the feed-bolt n I secure to or form upon the plunger D a bolt, H, which is situated oppdsite the flat face b of such plunger, the said bar extending through a vertical slot, q, cut in the outer end of the said bolt n, and being formed with two oblique cam grades or wipers, r 8, one upon each opposite side thereof, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. During the ascent of the plunger and the bar H, and as the two arrive at their greatest altitude, the grade 8 wipes against the bolt and retracts and removes it from the immediate vicinity of the driver h, while, during the descent of the plunger and bar, and as the latter reach their lowest position, the grade impinges against and advances the feeder, and, by the action of the latter, feeds forward the nail-plate and inserts its foremost nail within the hole or passage f and below the driver, in order that the latter in its descent shall strike and drive the nail into the desired object, the cutter in its. ascent severing said foremost nail from the strip previous to the descent of the driver in order that the latter may not have this duty to perform. It will thus be seen that the nail-feeding bolt remains idle a greater part of the time, and only feeds forward the nails at a time when no injury would result to any of them. The device becomes self-acting and continuous in its operation, the descent of the plunger serving to feed forward the nails, and its ascent to sever a nail until the supply within the hopper or reservoir is exhausted.

Claims.

1. In an implement of the kind described, Iclaim, in combination with the plunger, driver, and cutter, operating together as specified,.the

intermittently-moiprocatin g feed-bolt, ha ving stated.

HENRY F. WHEELER. Witnesses:

W. GEO. ALDEN, W. E. BOABDMAN. 

